1 Comment

oliver’s birthday and jakob’s first swing

Yesterday we had our cousin Oliver’s first birthday party. For proof that taking photos of your baby in funny hats runs in the family, check here for Robyn’s photo of Sean in the same party hat.
I think this is the same photo Robyn posted. All three of us cousins (technically Lisa is married to our cousin Phil) and our boys. Lisa is cracking up because Oliver (the birthday boy) had just stuck his finger up his nose.

Note to self: don’t put Jakob in horizontal stripes! Look how chubby he looks!

I had fun playing around with my camera. It has the setting where you can isolate a color and the rest of the photo comes out in black and white. You can’t really tell here but the green stripes on Jakob’s shirt are still green. This isn’t the best example of the color play, but I liked the photo. 🙂

You ever have one of those days where you don’t quite get anything done that you’d meant to, even though you’re busy all day?

When I woke up this morning, my only plan was to type up my camera case worksheet so I could give it another go before I send it out for test knitting. Well, I only fell asleep last night at 1:30am (we realized that if we read another chapter of Harry Potter we’d be exactly 1/3 of the way through the book, so even though it was late we just HAD to read!) and Jakob woke up to eat at 6:30, so I was exhausted and slept through to the next feed at 9:30, then tried to doze off with him until the next feed but he woke up at 10:30 and wanted to play.

Once we finished playing I fed him and put him down for a nap, and thought NOW I’ll sit at the computer and type up my pattern. Then I decided I’d better eat some breakfast while I had a chance. After breakfast he was fussing, and once I got him sleeping again I made a pot of coffee, prepared a cup, and came up to the office to type. As you can tell by the timing of my last post, I didn’t exactly get much pattern writing done. Instead I blogged a bit, then went through my photos from the weekend to see what I wanted to keep. I was about to blog here but wanted to wait for my cousin’s photos to see if I wanted any, so while those loaded into our shared file I went through some of my mom’s photos.

Before lunch time my friend Debbie called to see if we could get together tonight, and I thought “sure, I’ll have had plenty of time to type up the pattern by then!”. We made plans for 6:00/6:30. I opened a Word document and began typing up the pattern. Then Jakob started to cry again. Before I could get to him, my friend Maaike called to see if we would be free to go to the park later. Again I thought “sure, I’ll be done typing by then, and I can bring it with me for park knitting!”. Right.

I kept going through my mom’s photos, checking every so often to see if Robyn’s were done uploading. By the time they were ready, Jakob was up for real and was hungry. I went to go feed him, then Maaike called to say that they (her daughter and her friend Julie and Julie’s kids) we ready to meet at the park. Needless to say I hadn’t done more than type up the pattern materials (yarn and needles LOL) so I wasn’t able to bring that knitting with me.

Jakob had a great time at the park. He went in a swing for the first time, and loved it! He can’t sit up on his own, but it was angled perfectly to hold him up, and he stayed in for about a half hour without fussing once. I was even able to push it and let him swing. I had a great time too, Maaike’s friend Julie is really nice and one of her children is close to Jakob’s age so I was able to get some advice. Right as I was about to pull out my knitting, Maaike mentioned the time and I realized that I’d better get home before Debbie got here!

Yannick picked up supper, and the four of us had a nice dinner (Yannick, me, Debbie and Yannick’s friend Kevin) while Jakob slept. It was nice hanging out like that, I don’t see Debbie very often, and while I see Kevin a lot, we don’t always “hang out”. Later on Yannick’s friend Paul came over to help the other two change our garage door opener (the new one sucks and we’re going to return it) and Debbie and I came upstairs to play on the computer and with Jakob.

After Debbie left and Jakob was in bed, asleep for the night, I thought to myself “ok, NOW I’ll go and type up my pattern, and get some knitting done before bed”. Ha!

It’s 11:51, I’ve been at the computer since 10:15-ish, and I have no pattern to show for it. My photos are organized, and this post is done, but pattern? What pattern?

Maybe tomorrow?


I leave you now with this short video of Jakob’s first swing ride. If you have speakers on and listen closely, you can hear him “talking” a few times. Enjoy!



Leave a comment

i’m so dumb

They tell you that when you get pregnant you get stupid. It is SO true. I had never been more dumb in my life than when I was pregnant…and the smarts- they don’t come back once you deliver.

Most of the time it still takes me 3 tries to get out a complicated thought and the simplest little things become great big concepts. I don’t think the light of day has shone on my brain in a while.

Case in point:

My temporary office in our new house is a big (12″x15″) room. It is actually the spare bedroom, but I felt it was a waste to have this whole big room with just a bed and dresser, and only used the odd time someone sleeps over, so at the back of the room is my filing cabinet, computer desk, and bookshelf. Ah…I’ll go take a photo. Hold on.

So here is the view when you open the door and walk in…

…and there’s my desk at the back. It’s not a HUGE room, but it is big enough that when I’d have garbage at my desk it was too much of a pain to keep getting up and throwing it out in the garbage can which was aaallll the way over on the other side of the room, between the dresser and rocking chair.

I swear, for the last 3 weeks I have been getting a grocery bag from the kitchen to keep ON my desk for used Kleenex, papers, whatever garbage I have. Then when we collect for garbage day, the garbage can is empty but we’ll grab my little garbage bag.

You want to know what never occurred to me until this very morning? To move the freaking garbage can to under my desk.

I’m going to go sit down for a while. All this thinking hurt my brain.

Before I go, here’s a FO to report. I designed and knit a case for my new camera. I know this isn’t the best photo, but it is deliberate. I’m working on converting the pattern to be a pattern generator so anyone can use it for any size camera, with any gauge. Once I write it out I will have it test-knit, then probably offer it with my free patterns in the sidebar.


1 Comment

i’m so dumb

They tell you that when you get pregnant you get stupid. It is SO true. I had never been more dumb in my life than when I was pregnant…and the smarts- they don’t come back once you deliver.

Most of the time it still takes me 3 tries to get out a complicated thought and the simplest little things become great big concepts. I don’t think the light of day has shone on my brain in a while.

Case in point:

My temporary office in our new house is a big (12″x15″) room. It is actually the spare bedroom, but I felt it was a waste to have this whole big room with just a bed and dresser, and only used the odd time someone sleeps over, so at the back of the room is my filing cabinet, computer desk, and bookshelf. Ah…I’ll go take a photo. Hold on.

So here is the view when you open the door and walk in…

…and there’s my desk at the back. It’s not a HUGE room, but it is big enough that when I’d have garbage at my desk it was too much of a pain to keep getting up and throwing it out in the garbage can which was aaallll the way over on the other side of the room, between the dresser and rocking chair.

I swear, for the last 3 weeks I have been getting a grocery bag from the kitchen to keep ON my desk for used Kleenex, papers, whatever garbage I have. Then when we collect for garbage day, the garbage can is empty but we’ll grab my little garbage bag.

You want to know what never occurred to me until this very morning? To move the freaking garbage can to under my desk.

I’m going to go sit down for a while. All this thinking hurt my brain.

Before I go, here’s a FO to report. I designed and knit a case for my new camera. I know this isn’t the best photo, but it is deliberate. I’m working on converting the pattern to be a pattern generator so anyone can use it for any size camera, with any gauge. Once I write it out I will have it test-knit, then probably offer it with my free patterns in the sidebar.


3 Comments

catching up wed, thurs, fri and today (sat) and YES i talk about knitting

I don’t know where the time goes. I blink and it is a few days after I said I would post. Sorry, loyal reader(s)! 🙂
On Wednesday my mom, her friend Esther and I took Jakob to go see the movie Stardust. I loved it! They took a while to get the story, but I caught on right away and thought it was amazing. If you like The Princess Bride, you’ll like Stardust!

That afternoon we were supposed to have a playdate with Maaike and her daughter, and Robyn and her son, but they both cancelled on me so Jakob and I spent the afternoon making beef jerky for Yannick with our food dehydrator. I like beef jerky too but this time I used the “hot and spicy” spice mix, and it is WAY too hot for me.

On Thursday we spent the morning play around in bed.

We worked on some tummy time, which he is getting much better at. He’s always been good at holding his head up, but usually starts to fuss after a few minutes. He is now able to go much longer before getting frustrated or sore (holding up his head).

 

Thursday afternoon we were invited to join a friend’s playgroup. It was so much fun! Her daughter is only 1 day older than Jakob, and they were the two oldest kids there. There were 11 moms and kids total, and the youngest baby is two-and-a-half weeks old. I gave that mom great “props”- I certainly didn’t have the energy to go out that early! It was a riot watching all of these babies- just imagine all 11 together once they start to crawl! Right now they’re not doing much, but it is more for the mommies to get a chance to socialize. After the playgroup a few of us took our kids out with their strollers for a walk, then I went to the pharmacy then to my parents’ house. I had invited myself, Jakob and Yannick over for supper because I was going to go to my friend Jackie’s to watch Big Brother at 8:00pm, but Jackie had to cancel so I made sure I was home in time. I fed Jakob and spent the night working on the JCA project some more.

Friday we played around some more then went and did a few errands. I wanted to exchange one of the breastfeeding tops I’d bought at Thyme for a different one that was more flattering, and also wanted to return a toy I’d bought for Jakob since I wasn’t happy with it. Luckily both stores were in the same mall so I didn’t have to run around too much. Friday night we brought Jakob to my parents’ house to babysit and Yannick and I were going to see Stardust (I knew Yannick would love it) but last minute something came up so I came home alone to get a good chunk of knitting done, and Yannick went to help my parents clear out their backyard for a pool they are going to put in. (Yay!) The other good news is: I finished the JCA project! I just have a few ends to weave in, but those suckers are done! I’m very excited because I want to start new things already!

Today we went to Robyn’s dad’s store and I got my new digital camera. It is the Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital Elph and I am so excited to finally have a camera small enough to throw into my purse or diaper bag. Our current Canon (PowerShot S2 lS) is wonderful but SO bulky! Robyn’s sister, my (wonderful, amazing, awesome, great) cousin Amy was working that day and not only gave us great service but made Jakob laugh and smile. After the store we had a playdate walk in the park with my grad date of all people! He had married his high school sweetheart (we had gone to grad as friends, with her permission) and they’d moved to the West Island and had a daughter just 2 months before Jakob was born. We went to Centennial Park and hung out at the dog park for a bit before going to sit by the lake and catch up. I can’t believe it- I haven’t seen him in 13 years! We found each other on Facebook of all places.

From there we went to my parents’ house for a short visit, then came home. We just finished supper and Jakob is napping so I’m going to weave in those ends so I can start working on my next project:

That’s the Montego Bay Scarf from this summer’s Interweave Knits. It is scarf 1 of my (hopefully) 3 items that I will be donating for my friend’s fundraiser auction.

This photo sucks but shows the color of the yarn a bit more true to life. Each strand of color is plied with black. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.


2 Comments

hi. (i had no clue what to put as a title)

I skipped posting yesterday because I didn’t have any photos to include with the post…then realized I’d done the same thing today. Sorry- no photos, but at least there’s a post.

I’ve been trying to find every spare moment to knit since I have a deadline on these socks plus a self-imposed deadline afterwards for a cancer fundraiser in November. A friend of the family has taken it upon herself to throw this event. This is the same friend I knit the “Comfort” Clapotis for. I volunteered to knit a few items as either auction items or raffle prizes, and will be taking that on right after I finish the socks. If you’re a retailer in Montreal or know of one who would like to contribute a raffle prize, please email me and I’ll send you an info package. Here’s the basic info:

I would like to take this opportunity to share my miracle story with you. Last March, I was diagnosed with A.L.L, also known as Acute Lymphoblastic (Lymphocytic) Leukemia. This is a blood cancer found most often in young children and can also affect adults, like myself. While going through this experience, which has forever changed my life in a positive way, I have come to realize that there is still so much needed research to be done in order to help others battling leukemia. I proudly present A Cabaret for the Cure, the first annual fundraising gala at Le Living Room. This event will take place Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 at 6:30pm. Proceeds from this event will support leukemia research at the Segal Cancer Centre at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH). Presently, our generous sponsors include: Le Living Room, Q92, Inglot, and Sheldon Kagan International.

After undergoing vigorous treatment this past year, I am now able to reflect on this experience. I have learned three great lessons at the age of just 23 years old. The first is that sometimes in life, we have to pay our dues early. The second lesson is that everything truly does happen for a reason. The third and most important lesson of all is to never stop fighting. I thought my fight would be over once I was in remission but I was wrong. I now understand that my true reason for surviving is to help eradicate leukemia, and to help those who are fighting this disease. I intend to do so with your help!

With many show-stopping performances by unique artists, a live auction, raffle, and a charismatic emcee for the evening, A Cabaret for the Cure will be the gala event of the year! Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will be served followed by a buffet style dinner. Dessert and coffee will be served as well.

Please remember, the story you read today is just one of many. With your generous support, we can help find a cure together and make many more miracles come true! I encourage you to become a sponsor, purchase an advertisement in our Playbill, and/or buy tickets in support of this worthwhile cause. The price per ticket is $72, which includes a partial tax receipt. Please note that donations can be made to A Cabaret for the Cure fund at the JGH Foundation, whereby a full tax receipt will be issued.

The event is partially geared towards young adults, and I will be knitting at least two scarves with them in mind…the lacy one from this summer’s Interweave Knits, and a super-soft, chunky rib just right for winter. Finally I will be working on a delicate lace shawl that I hope will be good enough for the auction, but if not then at least for a raffle prize.

Yesterday we went out for a bit with Maaike and visited the Wool Shop. I bought some yarn for the above-mentioned lace scarf. I’m amazed that that’s all I bought! Jakob and I vegged and played for the rest of the afternoon, then went out for supper with Yannick before going to my parents’ house for a short visit.

Today I took him to Thyme Maternity to buy a few breast feeding shirts for those times when I know we’re going somewhere a bit fancier where I don’t feel like pulling up (or down) my whole shirt. We met up with my mom and her friend so they could see Jakob (and bring me diapers since I’d forgotten to restock the diaper bag) then I took him to the CLSC to be weighed and to hang out for a bit. I don’t know if I remembered to mention but as of last Thurs he was 12lbs 12 oz and 24″ long. Today he was only 12lbs 12.5oz, but it was a different scale, so…

In the afternoon Maaike came over with her daughter then I made some supper and knit around Jakob’s outbursts. He has been really fussy today…I think it’s a growth spurt. He still has his happy times, but has mostly cried and wanted to be held and/or to nurse. He’ll be 14 weeks this week so I think it’s probably just the 3 month growth spurt. (And if it wasn’t too early I’d also swear he’s teething). I don’t mind the extra moments of cuddling, especially since he needs it for comfort…I just wish I didn’t have a deadline so I wouldn’t feel bad about putting him down. Luckily this kind of day is the rarity, and usually I can even put him in his play pen with some toys and he will amuse himself grabbing on and babbling to them.

I’m going to go pop my ipod into the speakers and catch up on my podcasts while stealing a few more minutes to knit before falling asleep. ‘Night!


2 Comments

lazy sunday- NOT

Isn’t he cute? Here’s Jakob in the Child’s Placket Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. He’s wearing it with the same shorts from his bris outfit that were swimming on him then!

But I’ll get back to that later.

Yannick and I spent a good part of the morning cleaning the house, then we went to do a few errands. I wanted to get Jakob some links (plastic toy chains) so we can work on his “grabbing”, so we stopped at Babies R Us. We then went over to Fairview but they didn’t have the household items we were looking for. They did have the same yummy ice cream I had yesterday though! (Bad diet move Jennifer!)

After Fairview we went to see Yannick’s cousins and their daughter, then stopped to pick up some photos and groceries at Loblaws. Jakob was so exhausted by that point- he’d hardly slept more than an hour all combined throughout the day. We finally got home around 5:15 and my brother Mike came by to help Yannick move some furniture. Don’t think we were able to settle in and rest though- no sooner had we finished eating supper then I had to feed Jakob and we had to leave for cake and coffee at a family member’s house for my great-aunt’s 75th birthday party.

And that’s where the sweater comes in. 🙂

It has been a bit cool at night lately so I decided to put Jakob in the sweater before he grew too big to wear it. I love it on him! He has no neck in it, but I don’t care. I think he looks adorable. The sweater was so easy and fast to make…I can’t wait to make a whole bunch more in other colors. The only thing I would change would be to add an extra 2 inches (or more) to the length. I had to keep pulling it down so he wouldn’t have his belly button exposed. Other wise it was a hit and I love it!

It was fun getting to see my dad’s side of the family tonight. I’m glad we were able to go…we were invited last minute (the adults were all invited but the “kids” were added later…Yannick and I being “kids” in this case) and it was really nice to see everyone. Robyn was there with Sean and I can’t believe how much he’s growing and developing! He was crawling! I swear this kid couldn’t crawl the last time I saw him, and that was only about two weeks ago at Hairspray! I hadn’t seen Robyn since then either so I was able to give her the $ for her sock club that I joined. Oh- I forgot to make a link for this earlier…Robyn opened up an online knitting store called Robyn’s Nest! Go check her out and shop ’til you drop! I love the mini sock blocker kits, and I can’t wait to see September’s yarn for the sock yarn club.

(To be fair, I also just realized that I never put a link for Ariadne Knits, the online knitting store run by two of our Montreal Knits members, Molly Ann and Mary. If you shop there please check out Jennie’s knitted toy patterns, they are just too cute and I’m so proud of her! When she makes it big as a toy designer, I can say “I knew her when…”. (Can I also brag and say that I know Veronik Avery, Mona Schmidt and Kate Gilbert?) I’ll shut up now. 🙂

One last photo of our big boy for the night. *sigh* What a cutie. I know, I’m biased, but I’m so terribly in love with this child.

Ok, enough gushing. I need sleep. I also need to knit. I think if I do one tonight I’ll get the other one done tomorrow.


1 Comment

Jakob was 3 months old yesterday (Friday) – updated

-UPDATED POST-

According to What to Expect the First Year

By three months, your baby
…should be able to:
-on stomach, lift head up to 45 degrees
CHECK

…will probably be able to:
-laugh out loud
CHECK
-on stomach, lift head up 90 degrees
CHECK
-squeal in delight
CHECK
-bring both hands together
CHECK
-smile spontaneously
CHECK
-follow an object held about 6 inches above baby’s face and moved 180 degrees-from one side to the other, with baby watching all the way
CHECK

…may possibly be able to:
-hold head steady when upright
CHECK
-on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms
CHECK
-roll over (one way)
CHECK
-grasp a rattle held to backs or tips of fingers
Kinda. He’ll hold it if you put it in his hand but won’t try to grab it.
-pay attention to an object as small as a raisin
CHECK

…may even be able to:
-bear some weight on legs when held upright
CHECK
-reach for an object
He’s starting to…
-keep head level with body when pulled to sitting
Sometimes…
-turn in the direction of a voice, particularily mommy’s
Sometimes…
-say “ah-goo” or similar vowel-consonant combination
ALL THE TIME
-razz (make a wet razzing sound)
Once…

Wow, what a list of accomplishments! I can’t believe he can do so much at so young…and that it was only 3 months ago that he was a little squishy baby. Now he seems so…solid…so much like a really little BOY.

To mark his 3 months, I took him to Sears yesterday for portraits. They came out really cute but won’t be ready until Sept 6th. To help Yannick feel included since he had to work, he helped me pick out Jakob’s outfits, and he will come back to the mall with me tomorrow to go over the photos and see if he wants to make any changes to the ones I’ve chosen. With the package I got, we will receive a free 10×13 portrait and I can’t wait to hang it up on our wall!

Afterwards I met up with my friend Maaike and her daughter Erika and we went over to Ares. If you like kitchen supplies and equipment I’m warning you now- this place is EVIL. I am amazed that I left without buying anything, it’s almost as tempting in there as it is in a knitting store! From there we brought our kids to the park. Maaike had brought her camera and took some really cute photos of Jakob and Erika. This is one of her photos- Jakob is cuddling with Erika’s bear Cauliflower.


Julie and Rich came over for dinner later on and we had a bit of a rough time with Jakob as he first refused to fall asleep, then slept for so long he would have missed more than one feeding. I wound up waking him when it had been almost 5 hours since his last feed (and 1.5 hours asleep). He fed well then went to bed around 11:30pm. He woke up next at 7:30 this morning!

Man that sleep felt good! 🙂

Now we’ve just gotten home from a little carriage ride over to Maaike’s house.

My mom’s friend Carol lent us this gorgeous pram. They don’t make them any more (for obvious safety reasons I’m sure) and the ones that remain are collector’s items. This one has been handed down and lent from friend to friend. I had to promise to guard it with my life!

I was going to go to the dep to buy a newspaper but the carriage is really hard to steer (it only drives straight so turning is a b*tch) and I had a thermos of coffee in one hand. Yannick called and volunteered to pick me up a paper later so I brought Jakob home.

(You can’t really tell but I redid my highlights and cut my hair in some long, shaggy layers).

When Yannick got back from his errands we went over to Sears so he could look at yesterday’s portraits. He didn’t want to change anything, so with the few minutes we had left before Fairview closed we went down to Laura Secord and got ice cream cones. I had the first two-scoop cone of my life- Rolo and Peanut Butter Swirl. YUM!!!

After a late supper tonight we decided to take Jakob for another walk. We tried the pram again, and this time I let Yannick steer. He didn’t have much better luck than I did. It has a tendancy to veer to the right, and since the wheels only go straight even he found turning difficult. You have to lift and drop the carriage as if you were going up onto a curb and each time we had to turn Jakob would slide all over the place. Also, the wheels are the exact right size to drop perfectly into the grates in a manhole cover. Not good. When we got home I asked my dad to come by tomorrow with his van and pick it up. I can’t work it myself and if even Yannick has a hard time…I don’t want to store it in my garage and be responsible for its safety and cleanliness. I’d rather return it and let someone else borrow it, if they want. It’s a shame because it’s so beautiful and I love walking down the street with it. It’s too bad I can’t steer it well.

Did I mention I have yet to knit a stitch? I know I will get my work done by the deadline, but man it is hard to find time this week. I get two minutes free…I eat something. I get two more minutes…I shower. A few more…I need a drink…but the pitcher is empty. I make more iced tea…I have to go pick him up again. Tomorrow Yannick is home and I think I’m going to take advantage of that and let him occupy Jakob when its not feeding time…


2 Comments

mommy with jakob at 13 weeks

13 weeks. Oy.

Today was a lazy, rainy day. We would have stayed in all day but I decided to bring Jakob to the doctor. I wanted to change his dose of acid-reflux medicine but preferred to have him properly weighed so he would be getting the correct dosage…instead of guessing. He’s been waking up throughout the night and his naps folded over in pain, so I really wanted to get this done. I could have had the doctor tell me over the phone but preferred to weigh him and do it right. My mom came with us and Jakob was really well behaved.

Tonight he was fussy but it takes time for the higher dosage to kick in, so we’re being patient about it. He was SO overtired but refused to let himself sleep so finally we gave him a bath with some Johnson’s Bedtime Bath, fed him a bit earlier than usual, and he conked right out.

Now “Daddy” and I are going to relax with the next few chapters of Harry Potter #7, my knitting, and some chocolates. Goodnight! 🙂


2 Comments

Happy Birthday Laura!

I can’t believe it. Today my baby sister, the youngest of us 4 kids, is 20 years old. We are 10 years apart…which means I’m going to be…30 next month. Man.

When did she get to grow up? Why isn’t she still playing with dolls and letting me stick colored dot stickers all over our faces and letting me put garish makeup on her and dress her up?

Happy Birthday Laura!


Jakob had a rough night last night. He went from 9:30pm to 8:00am without eating, but he woke up at least 5 times through the night. Each time he’d be folded in half almost flipping onto his stomach again. I’m guessing that he is getting bigger and the dose of Zantac we give him for acid-reflux isn’t strong enough for his current weight. I left a message for his doctor to find out if we can raise the dosage. I’m pretty sure that it’s his poor tummy hurting that keeps waking him up.

I took him to the movies again today, we went just the two of us and saw The Simpsons. It was a great movie! I like the cartoon, so I really enjoyed the movie. Lots of inside jokes and bits of sly humor (although the one part I can’t stop repeating was shown in the commercials…”Spider-pig… Spider-pig… does whatever a Spider-pig does…” He slept through the beginning of the movie and I had a chance to knit up a swatch I needed to have done. My LYS was clearing out some yarns and had a heavy cotton/acrylic blend on sale for about $2 CAD/ball so I bought them to make a sweater. The LYS owner told me she’d use her computer program to design me a pattern and I needed to have the swatch done for that.

After the movie I brought Jakob to the LYS and had the pattern made. There wasn’t enough white for a whole sweater so I bought some navy too and will have to get creative with the color.

Later I brought Jakob home and fed him, then changed him to bring over to my parents’ house for my sister’s non-surprise surprise party (her friend leaked the news but Laura pretended not to know, and didn’t know that we knew she knew).

Like his tank?
Can you read it? It says “Dad thinks he’s in charge”. 🙂

We had a great barbeque over at my parents’ house and Laura had a blast showing Jakob off to her friends. It was weird seeing my sister and her friends hanging out, surrounded by cigarettes (not hers) and beers (also not hers). My mom had provided wine coolers and sangria, and they thought it was quaint. Instead they drank down their beers. I watched them all horse around and can’t help but remember hanging out with my friends at that age. You feel like you have no cares and your whole life ahead of you…and now I’m almost years older and feel like I have a lifetime behind me.

Ok, enough melodrama. I just put Jakob to bed and will go knit while Yannick reads the next chapter of Harry Potter #7 to me. (Yes, we read out loud to each other when we want to share the same book, we’ve been doing it since we started dating, although I usually end up reading since Yannick’s reading out loud isn’t the best. No, I haven’t read any spoilers online so if you know who dies or anything DON’T tell me!)

p.s. Today is also my brother-in-law’s birthday, so Happy Birthday Mathieu!